Although it's in a handy spot for commuters - only about 20 minutes' drive from the M50 - Cruiserath, at Pelletstown in Co Meath, is quite a long walk from the nearest pub.

Caffrey's Country Pub and Restaurant is about three kilometres away in Batterstown, while the comparatively brighter lights of Dunshaughlin are some seven kilometres out.

Wisely, the owners of Cruiserath have taken measures to avert any thirst-related crises by installing a bar in the house. It's completely fitted out with plenty of shelves for all those undrinkable liqueurs you brought home from holidays, and a bar counter and high stools for holding forth on the state of the nation.

Cruiserath is a detached, mock-Tudor house on an acre or so of grounds, and it has three other reception rooms as well, so if you guests get unruly in the bar, you can escape elsewhere.

The bar opens via double doors into a dual-aspect sitting room running the whole length of the house, with a bay window, a marble fireplace and French doors to the back garden.

At the front of the house there's a living room, also dual-aspect and with a bay window and fireplace, and at the far end of the ground floor there's a family room - triple-aspect this time, with a vaulted ceiling and two sets of French doors.

The family room is reached from an open-plan kitchen and dining room, where there's a breakfast bar and doors to the patio and deck. Finally there's a study on the ground floor, for perfect seclusion.

The first floor has four bedrooms, and the master bedroom has an en-suite shower and a dressing area. Overall the floor area is 2,750 sq ft. The grounds include a detached garage, garden sheds and a gazebo.

REA Coonan in Maynooth (01) 628 6128 is the agent and the asking price is €750,000.